Assange vowing to fight extradition to US on computer hacking charge
Does Julian Assange have a case? Reaction and analysis from former Justice Department counsel Jamil Jaffer and former senior investigative counsel Chris Staszak.
Swedish prosecutors said on Monday they will reopen a rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, at the request of the alleged victim's lawyer.
The case's reopening comes a month after he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
Sweden's deputy director of public prosecutions Eva-Marie Persson made the announcement at a news conference in Stockholm. She said that “there is still a probable cause to suspect that Assange committed a rape.”
Swedish prosecutors filed preliminary charges against Assange after he visited the country in 2010. Assange, who has denied the charges, has avoided extradition by seeking refuge in London's Ecuadorian embassy.
Seven years later, a case of alleged sexual misconduct was dropped when the statute of limitations expired. That left a rape allegation, which couldn't be pursued while Assange was living at the embassy. The statute of limitations on that case expires in August 2020.
Assange was evicted from the embassy last month and sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for violating his bail. The U.S. has also begun extradition proceedings for Assange's alleged role in leaking diplomatic and military secrets in 2010.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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